“Ninety-three percent of drinks served in a bar are accompanied by a fruit component.”
Iñigo Marco, CEO of ZITROMAC, created this company 5 years ago, willing to be a support and a complement for the hospitality industry.
ZITROMAC, cut and packaged fruit for the hospitality sector, how did the idea come about?
Due to my experience in the hospitality industry, I realized that there was a need to cut fruit every day to accompany drinks. The first anecdote I remember very fondly because I was having lunch with my mother, to whom I told the idea. The next day for lunch, my mother put 3 lemons on my plate and told me “come on son, let’s do tests….”. My father and my brother were also surprised with my concerns.
What were the beginnings like?
Once I made the decision, it was a matter of getting started. I took advice to see the first steps I had to take, I asked for part-time work in my previous job to be able to develop the idea. We conducted the corresponding market research, developed an R&D project and jumped into the pool. I had a very clear business idea, so, little by little, we gave it shape.
The key to success?
Creating ZITROMAC has been and is a daily challenge, but the key has been the sum of many factors such as the idea, the human team, my partner Carlos, the investment group, the illusion, the trust, the workers, the support of our clients… and the real need that exists in the sector.
You tell us that industry data is one of the keys to success. Shall we crunch the numbers?
93% of the drinks served at the bar of any bar are accompanied by a fruit component, usually citrus. I clearly saw the economic, time and organizational savings that this task entails on a daily basis, in addition to the many advantages of having the fruit already cut and packaged ready for consumption.
You started with cut fruit in fresh format, until you expanded the business with dehydrated fruit and flavored pearls. How has the evolution been?
Our first idea was the fresh product as a support for events, festivals, discotheques… As we grew and listened to our customers, they were asking us for juices and dehydrated fruit.
The truth is that betting on dried fruit has been the key to ZITROMAC’s growth. New doors and platforms have opened for us in several European countries that have given us the necessary push to consolidate our position. The main reason is the quality and care we give to our dried fruit, the high expiration date of up to 24 months and above all, the reactivation of the cocktail world.
It hasn’t always been easy, has it? You’ve had to overcome more than one bump…
We are aware of the growth potential we have, but this is a long distance race and there are always adversities and stones in the way that we always face as a new challenge.
We have overcome a fire, 3 facility relocations, a worldwide pandemic… Things have not been easy but we have always moved forward thanks to our enthusiasm and our team.
In spite of everything, international expansion, sales on Amazon in 8 countries, hiring of workers, new products, new formats… What can we expect from ZITROMAC in the short term?
The truth is that despite all the adversities we have managed to grow as a company.
Our challenge is to grow with order and security, and we are taking the right steps with investments and decisions consistent with this leap. We are already in countries such as France, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Czech Republic, among others, and the truth is that our business plan is to promote all these countries.
And in the more distant future, where do you see ZITROMAC?
I see ZITROMAC expanding sales in new countries, exporting not only to European countries, with facilities in line with growth and, above all, maintaining the human team, which I consider to be one of our main keys.